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Home , Susanna Siegel

PHIL 100 Introduction to Philosophy

Lectures: Monday and Wednesday 11:00–12:00

Instructor: Ori Simchen ([email protected]) online office hours: TBD

TAs: TBD1 online office hours: TBD TBD2 online office hours: TBD

Sections: L01 Friday 14:00–15:00 (TBD1) L02 Friday 12:00–13:00 (TBD1) L03 Friday 10:00–11:00 (TBD2) L04 Friday 11:00–12:00 (TBD2) L05 Friday 11:00–12:00 (TBD1)

Course Description: This course is a self-contained introduction to philosophy in the Western tradition. We will not follow a chronological order but will proceed thematically, covering material in the philosophy of religion, moral philosophy, , and metaphysics. We will discuss texts written by philosophers of the past, from antiquity to the 20th century. The material to be covered can be demanding, but students will have the opportunity to mull over and discuss the arguments and topics raised in lectures in their weekly discussion sections.

Text: Tamar Szabo-Gendler, Susanna Siegel, and Steven Cahn (eds.), The Elements of Phi- losophy: Readings from Past and Present (Oxford: Oxford UP: 2008). Available through the UBC Bookstore.

Course Requirements: Every student in the course will be required to attend the discussion sections remotely – online attendance is mandatory. Attendance and participation will account for 6% of the final grade. Online lectures will be available for remote attendance on Collaborate Ultra for interested students, but attending those is optional. Online lectures will be recorded and subsequently posted on the course’s Canvas page following their delivery. In addition, students will be required to write six short papers (3 pages each), each accounting for 8% of the final grade; two midterm exams, which will account for 12% each; and a final exam, which will account for 22%. Papers will be submitted through Turnitin – further information will be provided in due course. Further information about the format of the exams will be provided in due course as well.

1 A Note About Plagiarism: [Source: UBC Calendar] Plagiarism, which is intellectual theft, occurs where an individual submits or presents the oral or written work of another person as his or her own. Scholarship quite properly rests upon examining and referring to the thoughts and writings of others. However, when another person’s words (i.e. phrases, sentences, or paragraphs), ideas, or entire works are used, the author must be acknowledged in the text, in footnotes, in end- notes, or in another accepted form of academic citation. Where direct quotations are made, they must be clearly delineated (for example, within quotation marks or separately indented). Failure to provide proper attribution is plagiarism because it represents someone else’s work as one’s own. Plagiarism should not occur in submitted drafts or final works. A student who seeks assistance from a tutor or other scholastic aids must ensure that the work submitted is the student’s own. Students are responsible for ensuring that any work submitted does not constitute plagiarism. Students who are in any doubt as to what constitutes plagiarism should consult their instructor before handing in any assignments. A link about Academic misconduct is here: http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/Vancouver/index.cfm?tree=3,54,111,959

Student Support: UBC provides resources to support student learning and to maintain healthy lifestyles but recognizes that sometimes crises arise and so there are additional resources to access including those for survivors of sexual violence. UBC values respect for the person and ideas of all members of the academic community. Harassment and discrimination are not tolerated nor is suppression of academic freedom. UBC provides appropriate accommodation for students with disabilities and for religious and cultural observances. UBC values academic honesty and students are expected to acknowledge the ideas generated by others and to uphold the highest academic standards in all of their actions. Details of the policies and how to access support are available here: https://senate.ubc.ca/policies-resources-support-student-success

2 Course Outline (subject to change):

Sept. 9 • Introduction Sept. 14 • Simon Blackburn, ‘What Is Philosophy?’ and ‘The Elements of Logic’ Religion and

Sept. 16 • Saint Anselm, ‘The Ontological Argument’ Sept. 21 • Saint Anselm, ‘The Ontological Argument’ (continued) Sept. 23 • Gaunilo, ‘In Behalf of the Fool’; G.E. Moore, ‘Is Existence a Predicate?’ Sept. 28 • William Rowe, ‘Why the Ontological Argument Fails’ Moral Philosophy

Sept. 30 • John Stuart Mill, ‘Selections from Utilitarianism’ Oct. 5 • J.J.C. Smart, Extreme and Restricted Utilitarianism Paper #1 due Oct. 7 • Bernard Williams, ‘Utilitarianism, Integrity and Responsibility’ Oct. 12 • Thanksgiving – no class Oct. 14 • , ‘Selections from Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals’

Oct. 19 • Immanuel Kant, ‘Selections from Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals’ (cont.)

Oct. 21 • Onora O’Neill, ‘A Simplified Account of Kant’s Ethics’ Oct. 26 • Rosalind Hursthouse, ‘Normative Virtue Ethics’

Oct. 28 • Midterm exam Nov. 2 • Peter Singer, ‘Rich and Poor’

Nov. 4 • Alastair Norcross, ‘Puppies, Pigs, and People: Eating Meat and Marginal Cases’

Nov. 9 • Alastair Norcross, ‘Puppies, Pigs, and People: Eating Meat and Marginal Cases’ (cont.) Paper #2 due

Nov. 11 • Remembrance Day – no class Nov. 16 • Carl Cohen, ‘A Critique of the Alleged Moral Basis of Vegetarianism’ Nov. 18 • Judith Jarvis Thomson, ‘The Trolley Problem’ Nov. 23 • Judith Jarvis Thomson, ‘The Trolley Problem’ (cont.) Nov. 25 • ‘Thomas Nagel, Moral Luck’ Paper #3 due Nov. 30 • ‘Thomas Nagel, Moral Luck’ (cont.) Dec. 2 • TBD

3 Epistemology: Defining

Jan. 4 • , ‘What is Knowledge?’ from the Meno

Jan. 6 • , ‘Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?’ Jan. 11 • Edmund Gettier, ‘Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?’ (cont.) Jan. 13 • , ‘Knowledge’ from Philosophical Explanations Jan. 18 • Robert Nozick, ‘Knowledge’ from Philosophical Explanations (cont.) Epistemology:

Jan. 20 • Ren´eDescartes, First Meditation Jan. 25 • Ren´eDescartes, Second Meditation Paper #4 due Jan. 27 • Ren´eDescartes, Second Meditation (cont.) Feb. 1 • G.E. Moore, ‘Proof of an External World’ Feb. 3 • G.E. Moore, ‘Certainty’ Feb. 8 • Robert Nozick, ‘Skepticism’ from Philosophical Explanations Feb. 10 • Robert Nozick, ‘Skepticism’ from Philosophical Explanations (cont.) Feb. 15-17 • Midterm break – no class Feb. 23 • Midterm exam Feb. 25 • , Selections from Of the Principles of Human Knowledge

Mar. 1 • George Berkeley, Selections from Of the Principles of Human Knowledge (cont.)

Mar. 3 • , ‘Brains in a Vat’ from Reason, and History Paper #5 due

Mar. 8 • Hilary Putnam, ‘Brains in a Vat’ from Reason, Truth and History (cont.) Mar. 10 • , ‘Induction’ from Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding Mar. 15 • , ‘The New Riddle of Induction’ Mar. 17 • Remembrance Day – no class Mar. 22 • Nelson Goodman, ‘The New Riddle of Induction’ (cont.) Metaphysics: Personal Identity

Mar. 24 • Bernard Williams, ‘The Self and the Future’ Paper #6 due Mar. 29 • Derek Parfit, ‘Personal Identity’ from Reasons and Persons Mar. 31 • Derek Parfit, ‘Personal Identity’ from Reasons and Persons (cont.) Apr. 5 • Easter Monday – no class

Apr. 7 • Conclusion

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